Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph

The Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph building is located just north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.^[1] It is on the same block as the Jacob Raphael Building, which is also listed on the NRHP.

History

Telephone service in the city of Davenport was initiated in 1878 when a private line was installed between the Davenport Water Company office and plant.^[2] The following year 36 subscribers in Davenport, Rock Island and Moline, Illinois were hooked up to a switchboard. That area was expanded to 41 towns along the Mississippi River by the Western Telephone Company in 1881. Iowa Telephone and Telegraph was organized the next year and started to serve Davenport residents. Union Electric Telephone and Telegraph entered the market in 1902 and they built this building. They had about 1,400 customers, but they ceased operations in 1912.^[2]

Architecture

The utility company built this building for its use on the corner of Harrison and Sixth Streets. It is a brick building on a stone foundation. The two-story structure sits on a raised basement. A staircase rises to the main entrance in the center of the main level. A decorative hood crowns the entrance. Four pilasters adorn the façade on the first and second levels. They are capped by Corinthian capitals. The façade is crowned with an imposing pediment. The window openings feature roman arched windows on the second floor that are capped with a hood and a decorative keystone.^[2]

See also

Other buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Davenport that relate to utility companies:

• American Telegraph & Telephone Co. Building
• Davenport Water Co. Pumping Station No. 2
• Donahue Building

References